Lenten Station At Santa Cecilia In Trastevere. Wednesday Of The Second Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.
Violet Vestments.

Interior of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome.

Photo: 2007-05-19 (original upload date).

Source: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.

Author: Original uploader was Dreamword at en.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is at the Sanctuary where the body of the illustrious Roman Virgin, Saint Cecilia, rests. It was there she lived and died a Martyr. In the 5th-Century, this Church was mentioned as one of the most celebrated Parochial or Titular Churches of Rome. It is situated in Trastevere. It was customary to read in this Church the Gospel in which Jesus tells a woman it is necessary to drink His chalice, if one is to participate in His glory.

We read, at the Epistle, the Prayer of Mardochai, in favour of the Jewish people, whom the impious Aman had determined to destroy. He implored the Lord to turn their sadness into joy. The Christian people, in the same way, are mourning in their Lenten Penance and are looking forward to the holy Paschal joys. But, to deserve them, as the Gospel tells us, we must first drink the chalice of the One who came to shed His blood to redeem us and who will make us sharers in His resurrection, if we die to our sins.

Let us abstain from the food which sustains our bodies, and from the vices which poison our Souls (Collect).

Basilica di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.

Photo: January 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: MarkusMark.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia, 
by Stefano Maderno (1575 - 1636), 

Church of Saint Cecilia, Rome.

One of the most famous examples of Baroque sculpture.

Photo: January 2005.

Source: Flickr

Author: Sébastien Bertrand from Paris, France.

Reviewer: Andre Engels.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Ciborium,
Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere,
Rome, Italy.
Attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio.

Photo: June 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ktulu.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Crypt Chapel of Santa Cecilia.

Photo: December 2006.

Source: Porkister

Author: Claudiu Georgescu.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first Church on this site was founded probably in the 3rd-Century, by Pope Urban I; it was devoted to the Roman martyr, Cecilia, martyred it is said, under Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander.

By the Late-5th-Century, at the Synod of 499 A.D. of Pope Symmachus, the Church is indicated with the Titulus Ceciliae. Tradition holds that the Church was built over the house of the Saint. 

The Baptistery associated with this Church, together with the remains of a Roman house of the early Empire, was found during excavations under the Chapel of the Relics. On 22 November, 545 A.D., Pope Vigilius was celebrating the Saint in the Church, when the emissary of Empress Theodora, Antemi Scribone, captured him.

Pope Paschal I rebuilt the Church in 822 A.D., and moved here the relics of Saint Cecilia from the catacombs of Saint Calixtus. More restorations followed in the 18th-Century.

The Crypt of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.

Photo: 2005-06-01.

Photographer: tieseb

Original Source: Flickr.com

Original Photo: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

With the death of Carlo Maria Martini in 2012, there is currently no Cardinal Priest assigned to the Titulus S. Caeciliae. Among the previous Titulars are Pope Stephen III, Adam Easton, Thomas Wolsey and Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphili.

Among the artefacts remaining from the 13th-Century are a mural painting, depicting the Final Judgment (1289-93) by Pietro Cavallini, in the Choir of the Monks, and the Ciborium (1293) in the Presbytery by Arnolfo di Cambio. The Gothic Ciborium is surrounded by four marble columns, white and black, decorated with statuettes of Angels, Saints, Prophets, and Evangelists. The Apse has remains of 9th-Century mosaics, depicting the Redeemer with Saints Paul, Cecilia, Paschal I, Peter, Valerian, and Agatha.

Italiano: Roma, Santa Cecilia in Trastevere: 

Interno verso l'ingresso e coretti delle monache in luogo dell'organo.

English: Interior of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. 
Looking towards the Organ Loft.

Photo: December 2006.

User: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

Among the most remarkable works, is the graphic Altar sculpture of Saint Cecilia (1600) by the Late-Renaissance sculptor, Stefano Maderno. The pavement in front of the statue encloses a marble slab, with Maderno's sworn statement that he has recorded the body as he saw it when the tomb was opened in 1599. 

The statue depicts the three axe strokes described in the 5th-Century account of her martyrdom. It also is meant to underscore the incorruptibility of her body (an attribute of some Saints), which miraculously still had congealed blood after centuries. 

The Crypt is also noteworthy, decorated in the Cosmatesque style, containing the relics of Saint Cecilia and her husband, Saint Valerian.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Santa Balbina. Tuesday Of The Second Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

Italiano: Roma - Chiesa di S. Balbina.

English: Basilica of Saint Balbina,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: October 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: MarkusMark

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Lenten Station is at the Sanctuary of Saint Balbina, a Roman Virgin who lived in the 2nd-Century and whose remains lie under the Altar with those of her father, the martyr Saint Quirinus. This Church, which stands on a slope of the Aventine, was, in the 5th-Century, one of the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome. Formerly, it was the house of a Roman lady, named Balbina, who was martyred during the persecution of Emperor Trajan.

The reason for the choice of this Church is explained by the Epistle, which speaks of the widow of Sarephta. Thus, is celebrated, the faith of one who transformed her residence into a Church.

Italiano: Santa Balbina a Roma: Interno. 

English: Interior of the Basilica of Saint Balbina, Rome.

Photo: January 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

Jesus declares in the Gospel that the Jews, who taught the Law of Moses, did not observe it. On the other hand, the Kingdom of God is open to the heathen, who, by Baptism, become disciples of Christ and do His works.

The Epistle tells of Elias going to a heathen widow woman of Sarephta to ask for nourishment, when a drought had fallen on impenitent Israel. The widow took two pieces of wood, typical of the cross of Jesus, and prepared a hearth cake for the Prophet and one for herself.. Her compassion was rewarded, for never after did she want for bread. Whereas the Jews suffer from the scarcity, the Gentiles, as a reward for their fidelity, receive daily the Eucharistic bread, which applies to them the merits gained for them by the Saviour on the Cross.

Let us pray that God may grant us the grace of perseverance in the observance of the Fast, of which He has set us an example (Collect).

His Eminence, Péter Erdő, Cardinal-Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, 

and Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Balbinae, Rome.

Santa Balbina is a Basilica Church in Rome, devoted to Saint Balbina. It was built in the 4th-Century, over the house of consul Lucius Fabius Cilo, on the Aventine Hill, behind the Baths of Caracalla. Possibly the ancient Titulus Tigridae, the Basilica was consecrated by Pope Gregory I.

The adjoining Monastery has a commanding Mediaeval defence Tower. Inside the Basilica, there is a very fine Episcopal Chair, with a Cosmatesque decoration, from the 13th-Century. The Church was heavily restored in the 1930s, when frescoes were discovered on the side walls from the 9th-Century to the 14th-Century.

External Ornaments of a Cardinal who is a Bishop.

Date: 26 May 2011.

Source: Own work, elements by Heralder and Alekjds.

Author: Adelbrecht.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Baroque frescoes in the Apse, and the triumphal Arch, were painted by Anastasio Fontebuoni in 1599. The Arch is decorated with the figures of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, while, in the Apse, we can see Saint Balbina between other martyrs. An ancient Sarcophagus was also discovered during the restoration. It is now used as a Font.

There is a strong connection between the Basilica of Santa Balbina, Rome, and Hungary. 

In 1270, the first known Hungarian Cardinal, István Váncsa, was buried in the Basilica. 

The current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Balbinae is Péter Erdő, 

Archbishop of Esztergom, Hungary.

In 1270, the first known Hungarian Cardinal, István Váncsa, was buried in the Basilica. Another 13th-Century Hungarian Clergyman, Pál, Bishop of Paphos, erected an Altar in the Church for Saint Nicholas. Both the Altar and the Grave disappeared during later centuries, but a Plaque commemorates the offerings of Pál.

The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Balbinae is Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom. According to Péter Erdő, the Hungarian connections of this Church played a part in Pope John Paul II's decision when he chose Santa Balbina for Archbishop Erdő's Titular Church. The Cardinal also recommended Hungarian pilgrims to visit the Basilica and said he feels a special responsibility for the building. Among the previous Titulars are Alfonso de la Cueva, marqués de Bedmar, and Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros.

Father Simpliciano of the Nativity founded the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts here.

Anima Christi. A Beautiful Communion Hymn And Prayer.

This Article was generated by a Post at IN CAELO ET IN TERRA

When was the last time you heard this beautiful Hymn, during Mass, at Communion ?

Why not ask your Parish Priest, Pastor, Choir Master or Director of Music, to include it during Mass next Sunday ?

An Indulgence of 300 days each time this Prayer is said. An Indulgence of seven years if said after Holy Communion. If said every day during the month, a Plenary Indulgence, subject to the usual conditions (* see, below), on any day chosen. [Blessed Pope Pius IX, 1854].

(* Confession, Holy Communion, Prayers for the Pope's intentions.)

Anima Christi.

A beautiful Communion Hymn

and Prayer.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/UN0QUHwnvMs.

Anima Christi, sanctifica me.

Corpus Christi, salva me.

Sanguis Christi, inebria me.

Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.

Passio Christi, conforta me.

O bone Iesu, exaudi me.

Intra tua vulnera absconde me.

Ne permittas me separari a te.

Ab hoste maligno defende me.

In hora mortis meae voca me.

Et iube me venire ad te,

Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te

In saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesu, hear me.

Within Thy wounds, hide me.

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.

From the malicious enemy, defend me.

In the hour of my death, call me.

And bid me to come unto Thee.

That with Thy Saints I may praise Thee.

For ever and ever.

Amen.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Anima Christi is a Mediaeval Prayer to Jesus in the tradition of the Catholic Church.

The sequence of sentences, in Anima Christi, have rich associations with Catholic concepts that relate to the Holy Eucharist (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Christ), Baptism (water) and the Passion of Jesus (Holy Wounds).

Jean-Baptiste Lully composed a Motet called Anima Christi, and musicians such as Giovanni Valentini performed it.

As it was once mistakenly attributed to Saint Ignatius Loyola, who included it in his "Spiritual Exercises," it is sometimes referred to as the "Aspirations of Saint Ignatius Loyola".

This well known Catholic Prayer dates to the Early-14th-Century and was possibly written by Pope John XXII, but its authorship remains uncertain. The Prayer takes its name from its first two words in Latin. Anima Christi means "the Soul of Christ".

The Anima Christi was popularly believed to have been composed by Saint Ignatius Loyola, as he put it at the beginning of his "Spiritual Exercises" and often refers to it. This is a mistake, as has been pointed out by many writers, since the Prayer has been found in a number of Prayer Books printed during Ignatius' youth and is in manuscripts, which were written a hundred years before his birth (1491).

James Mearns, the English Hymnologist, found it in a manuscript of the British Museum which dates back to about 1370. In the Library of Avignon, there is preserved a Prayer Book of Cardinal Peter De Luxembourg, who died in 1387, which contains the Anima Christi in practically the same form as we have it today.

It has also been found inscribed on one of the gates of the Alcazar of Seville, which brings us back to the times of Don Pedro the Cruel (1350 - 1369) This Prayer was so-well-known, and so popular, at the time of Saint Ignatius, that, in the first edition of his "Spiritual Exercises", he merely mentions it, evidently supposing that the "exercitant", or reader, already knew it. In the later editions, it was printed in full. It was by assuming that everything in the book was written by Saint Ignatius, that it came to be looked upon as his composition.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Clement, Rome. Monday Of The Second Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica of Saint Clement, Rome.

Italian: Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is at the Church of Saint Clement, built above the very house of the third successor of Saint Peter, whose name is found in the Canon of the Mass. This Sanctuary, a Parish of Rome in the 5th-Century, is a most faithful example of an old Roman Basilica, although it was rebuilt in the 11th-Century. There are found, under the Altar, the remains of the Holy Martyr and of Saint Ignatius of Antioch.

Our Lord foretells in the Gospel that the Jews will lift Him up on the Cross, and thrice He asserts that they will die in their sin, because they have not believed in Him and done His works.

The wrath of God, which fell a first time on Jerusalem at the time of the Captivity of Babylon (Epistle), was renewed against Israel at the burning of the Temple. Like guilty Christians, they would only be able to return to the Lord by Penance, while the heathen are called, instead, to believe in Jesus, to become part of His people by Baptism.

“Let us mortify our flesh by abstinence from food and let us fast from sin by following justice” (Collect).

Interior of the Basilica di San Clemente, 
Rome, Italy.

Photo: March 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Sixtus

Permission: GFDL

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Basilica of Saint Clement (Italian: Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano) is a Roman Catholic Minor Basilica, dedicated to Pope Clement I, located in Rome, Italy. Archaeologically-speaking, the structure is a three-tiered complex of buildings: 

(1)      The present Basilica, built just before the year 1100, during the height of the Middle Ages; 

(2)      Beneath the present Basilica, is a 4th-Century Basilica that had been converted out of the home of a Roman nobleman, part of which had, in the 1st-Century, briefly served as an early Church, and the basement of which had, in the 2nd-Century, briefly served as a mithraeum;

(3)      The home of the Roman nobleman had been built on the foundations of a Republican-era building that had been destroyed in the Great Fire of 64 A.D.

Ceiling of the Basilica of Saint Clement, Rome.

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner

(Wikimedia Commons)

This ancient Church was transformed over the centuries from a private home, that was the site of clandestine Christian worship in the 1st-Century, to a grand public Basilica by the 6th-Century, reflecting the emerging Catholic Church's growing legitimacy and power. 

The archaeological traces of the Basilica's history were discovered in the 1860s by Joseph Mullooly, Lector in Sacred Theology, beginning in 1849 at the College of Saint Thomas in Rome, the future Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum.

The lowest levels of the present Basilica are remnants of the foundation of a Republican-era building that was destroyed in the Great Fire of 64 A.D. An industrial building, possibly the Imperial Mint of Rome, was built on the site during the "Flavian" period and, shortly thereafter, a "domus", or multi-level house, alongside it, separated form the industrial building by a narrow alleyway. 

About a hundred years later (circa 200 A.D.), the central room of the domus was re-modelled for use as part of a mithraeum, that is, as part of a sanctuary of the cult of Mithras. The main cult room (the speleum, "cave", which is about 9.6 m long and 6 m wide, was discovered in 1867, but could not be investigated until 1914, due to lack of drainage. The "exedra", the shallow Apse at the far end of the low vaulted space, was trimmed with pumice to render it more cave-like.

English: Mithraeum, under the Basilica of Saint Clement, in Rome.

Italiano: Mitreo sottostante la basilica di San Clemente a Roma.

Русский: Митреум под базиликой святого Климента.

Date: 2006-12-17 12-22 Rom.

Source: Uploaded on Flickr as 2006-12-17 12-22 

Rom 560j San Clemente Ausgrabungen Mithraskult

Author: Allie Caulfield

(Wikimedia Commons)

Central to the main room of the sanctuary, was found an altar, in the shape of a sarcophagus, and with the main cult relief of the tauroctony, Mithras slaying a bull, on its front face. The torch-bearers, Cautes and Cautopates, appear on, respectively, the left and right faces of the same monument. 

A dedicatory inscription identifies the donor as one pater Cnaeus Arrius Claudianus, perhaps of the same clan as Titus Arrius Antoninus' mother. Other monuments discovered in the sanctuary include a bust of Sol, kept in the sanctuary in a niche near the entrance, and a figure of "Mithras petra generix, i.e. "Mithras born of the rock".

Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius
bring the body of Saint Clement to Rome.

11th-Century fresco in the Basilica di San Clemente, Rome.

Source/Photographer: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Fragments of statuary of the two torch-bearers were also found . One of the rooms adjoining the main chamber has two oblong brickwork enclosures, one of which was used as a ritual refuse pit for remnants of the cult meal.

All three monuments, mentioned above, are still on display in the mithraeum. A fourth monument, – a statue of Saint Peter found in the speleum's vestibule and still on display there – is not of the mysteries.

Lenten Station For The Second Sunday In Lent. The Basilica Of Saint Mary's In Dominica, Rome.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Semi-Double.
Privilege of the First Class.
Violet Vestments.

Français: Intérieur de la basilique Santa Maria in Domnica.

English: Interior of the Basilica of Saint Mary's in Dominica, Rome.

Photo: May 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station at Rome is in the Church of Saint Mary's in Dominica, because, in former times, the Christians gathered there on Sundays in the House of the Lord (Dominicum). It is said to have been here that Saint Laurence distributed the goods of the Church to the poor. It is one of the 5th-Century Parishes of Rome.

Just as on Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays, the subject matter of the Divine Office forms the texture of the Masses for the Second, Third and Fourth Sundays of Lent, in such a way, that past ages still carry on their work of illustrating the Paschal mystery and so preparing us for it. And, indeed, Our Lord's ancestors, according to the flesh, are types of both Him and His Church.

Today, in the Breviary, we read of the Patriarch, Jacob, model of the most complete trust in God in the midst of all adversities. The Holy Scriptures often call Jehovah the God of Jacob or Israel, when He is referred to as the protector of His people. In the Introit, we say "O God of Israel, deliver us from all our tribulations".

It is, then, to the God of Jacob, the God of those who serve Him, that the Church addresses herself today. In the Introit, we read that he who puts his trust in God will never be ashamed. In the Collect, we ask almighty God to keep us, both inwardly and outwardly, that we may be preserved from all adversities.

Italiano: Roma - Chiesa di S. Maria in Domnica.

English: Basilica of Saint Mary's in Dominica, Rome.

Photo: October 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: MarkusMark

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the Gradual and Tract, we beseech Our Lord that He will deliver us from our troubles and adversities and "visit us with His salvation". The life of the Patriarch, Jacob, could not be summed up in a better way; he whom God always helped in the midst of his trouble and, in whom, as Saint Ambrose says, "we must acknowledge singular courage and great patience in labours and trials".

Jacob was chosen by almighty God to be the heir of His promises, just as formerly He had selected Isaac, Abraham, Sem and Noah. The name "Jacob" really means "Supplanter", and he fulfilled the meaning of his name when he bought the first birthright of his brother, Esau, from him for a mess of pottage, and obtained, by a trick, that blessing of the elder son which his father meant to give to Esau. His father, Isaac (whose sight was impaired), blessed indeed his younger son, Jacob, after having touched his hands, which Rebecca (Jacob's mother) had covered with goatskins. Isaac said to Jacob: "Let peoples serve thee. . . and be thou lord of thy brethren".

Further, when Jacob had to flee, to escape Esau's vengeance, he saw, in a dream, a ladder, reaching to Heaven, upon which the Angels ascended and descended. At the head of the ladder was the Lord, who told him: "In thee and thy seed, all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed. And I will be thy keeper whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; neither will I leave thee, till I shall have accomplished all that I have said."

After twenty years, Jacob returned to his own land; then an Angel wrestled with him all night, without overpowering him, and in the morning told him: "Thy name shall not be called "Jacob", but "Israel"; for if thou hast been strong against God, how much more shall thou prevail against men ?" Jacob gained his brother's confidence and they were reconciled.

Santa Maria in Domnica, Rome.
One of the products of the Carolingian Renaissance of the Mid-9th-Century, this mosaic was sponsored by Pope Paschal II, who can be seen kneeling before the Virgin.

Photo: February 2006.

Source: apse mosaic, s. maria in domnica

Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Every feature of the history of this Patriarch is typical of Christ and the Church in the Paschal mystery. Saint Augustine writes: "The blessing which Isaac gave Jacob, has a symbolic meaning in which the goatskins represent sins, while Jacob clothed in these skins is the figure of Him, Who, having no sins of His own, bore those of others." In somewhat the same way, a Bishop uses gloves at a Pontifical Mass and says, in effect, that Jesus was offered for us in the likeness of the flesh of sin. Saint Leo, in his exposition, says: "That for the restoration of the human race, His unchangeable Divinity stooped to take the form of a slave and that this is why Our Lord promised, in formal and precise terms, that some of His disciples should not "taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom," that is, in the royal glory which belongs spiritually to His adopted human nature, a glory which the Lord willed to reveal to His three disciples; since "although they were aware of the Divine majesty, which lay hidden within Him, they were ignorant of the possibilities of the very Body which clothed the Divinity".

Again, on the holy mountain, where Our Lord was transfigured, a voice was heard saying: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased. Hear ye Him." So, God the Father blesses His Son, clothed with our sinful flesh, as Isaac blessed Jacob, clothed with the goatskins, which blessing given to Christ is given also to the Gentiles, just as Jacob was blessed in preference to his elder brother.

When the Bishop puts on his pontifical gloves, he addresses the following Prayer to almighty God: "Encompass my hands, O God, with the purity of the New Man come down from Heaven, that, as Jacob, who had covered himself with goatskins, obtained his father's blessing, having offered him meats and good wine, so also may I, offering to Thee the victim of salvation at my hands, obtain the blessing of thy grace. Through Our Lord."

It is in Christ that we are blessed by the Father. He is our elder brother and our head. To Him must we listen, for He has chosen us for His people. "We pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus," says Saint Paul, "that, as you have received from us, how you ought to walk and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more. For you know what precepts I have given you by the Lord Jesus. . . For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification in Christ Jesus Our Lord" (Epistle).

Italiano: Roma, Santa Maria in Domnica: soffitto.

English: The Ceiling of Saint Mary's in Dominica, Rome.

Photo: September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

In Saint John's Gospel, Our Lord applies the vision of Jacob's ladder to Himself, to show that in the midst of the persecutions, of which He was the object, He was constantly under the protection of almighty God and His Angels. So, Saint Hippolytus says: "As Esau planned his brother's death, so the Jews plotted against Christ and the Church. Jacob must needs fly into a far country; in the same way, Christ, thrust out by the unbelief of His own nation, had to depart into Galilee, where the Church, sprung from the race of Gentiles, is given to Him as His Spouse." Moreover, at the end of time, these two peoples will be reconciled, as were Esau and Jacob.

Today's Mass, then, taken in connection with the Breviary Lessons for this week, acquires its full sense and helps us to understand the true meaning for us of the Paschal mystery which we are about to celebrate. Jacob beheld the God of Glory; the Apostles saw Jesus transfigured; soon, the Church will show us the risen Saviour.

Every Parish Priest celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Peter's, Rome. Saturday Of Ember Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

Interior of Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Artist: Giovanni Paolo Panini (1692–1765).

Date: 1731.

Current location: Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, United States.

Source/Photographer: Saint Louis Art Museum official site

The Station for the Saturday of Ember Week is always at the great Basilica erected by Constantine and rebuilt by the Popes in the 16th- and 17th-Centuries. It is on the hill of the Vatican on the spot where Saint Peter died on the cross and where his body rests. Besides, the Gospel is about the Transfiguration, of which Saint Peter was the chief witness.

It was in this Basilica that Ordinations took place, preceded, during the night, by twelve Lessons. We have a trace of these Lessons in those occurring in the Mass for today. The Introit verse alludes to this nocturnal vigil: "I have cried in the day and in the night before Thee."

Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.
The Apse, showing the Cathedra of Saint Peter, 

supported by four Doctors of the Church, and the Glory.
Designed by Bernini.

Photo: April 2010.

Source: Wiki Commons.

Author: Vitold Muratov.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Like the Apostles selected to be present on Mount Thabor at the manifestation of the divine life of Jesus (Gospel), the new Priests will ascend the steps of the altar to enter into communication with God. It is they who, in His name, will exhort us to Prayer, to Patience and to Charity.

Interior of Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Photo: April 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Nserrano.

(Wikimedia Commons)

If we abstain during Lent from even the appearance of evil, our Souls and our bodies will be preserved unstained for the day of the eternal Pasch, when Christ (Epistle) will allow us to participate in the glory of His Transfiguration for all eternity.

Let us pray to God to fortify us with His blessing so that, during this Lent, we may never depart from His holy will (Prayer Over The People).

Regina Magazine. The Secret Catholic Insider's Guide To Germany.

The latest Issue of

REGINA MAGAZINE

is now available for reading
and free download.

Zephyrinus recommends this excellent magazine to all Readers.

Contained within this month's publication are many wonderful Articles, including:

Apostle To The Germans: Boniface, The English Monk;

The Modernists' Nightmare: A New Renaissance In High Sacred Art;

True Grit: An Update On The Latin Mass In Germany;

Midsummer On The Moselle For A Latin Mass Wedding;

Hildegard The Polymath: Catholic Saint;

In The Footsteps Of Saint Edith Stein;

Zita: Catholic Empress In Exile.

English: Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma

(1892–1989).

By marriage,

Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia,

in traditional Hungarian gown at her coronation.

Magyar: Zita magyar és cseh királyné, osztrák császárné

(1892–1989),

született Bourbon–pármai hercegnő

díszmagyarban a koronázás alkalmából.

Photo: 30 December 1916.

Source: Alexander Palace Forum.

Author: Sándor Strelisky (1851–1922).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pro Missa Tridentina. Association Of Catholic Laity Of The German-Speaking Countries.

The following is taken from the Web-Site of Pro Missa Tridentina, the Association of Catholic Laity of German-Speaking Countries, at PRO MISSA TRIDENTINA

Zephyrinus heartily recommends Readers to visit their Web-Site and read how the Usus Antiquior Mass is undergoing a resurgence in German-Speaking Countries, particularly amongst the young, often against opposition from many quarters.

Pro Missa Tridentina is an

Association of Catholic Laity

of the German-Speaking Countries.

The aim of the Lay Association

is the daily Celebration of the Liturgy

in the Traditional Rite.

Aachen Cathedral.

Image from PRO MISSA TRIDENTINA

Details about the forthcoming Aachen Pilgrimage,

on 28 June 2014, can be seen on the Web-Site at

PRO MISSA TRIDENTINA

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Aachen Pilgrimage is attested from 1238, a Pilgrimage, during which the Relics of the Cathedral can be seen by Believers. These Relics are kept in the Marienschrein (1220-1239), in the front part of the Choir of the Cathedral.

Since 1349, these Relics have been displayed once every seven years. The last Aachen Pilgrimage was in 2007 and had the motto, "Kommt, und ihr werdet sehen" (Come and you will see) (John 1.39).

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of The Twelve Apostles. Friday Of Ember Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

The Apse in the Church of The Twelve Apostles, 
Rome, Italy.

Photo: August 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Luc.

(Wikimedia Commons)

On the Friday in Ember Week, the Station was always made in the Church of The Twelve Apostles, situated at the foot of the Quirinal, for the examination of candidates for ordination. Thus were the future Priests and Deacons put under the protection of the whole Apostolic College.

This Basilica, one of the oldest in Rome, was built shortly after the time of Constantine by Pope Julius I, on the occasion of the Translation of the bodies of the Apostles Philip and James the Less, which rested there. Pope John III (561 A.D. to 574 A.D.) made of it a Votive Monument for the freeing of Rome from the Goths of Totila.

The Baroque Ceiling 
of the Church of The Twelve Apostles, Rome.

Photo: August 2005.

Source: http://flickr.com/photos/antmoose/34649457/

Author: Anthony Majanlahti

(Wikimedia Commons)

Addressing herself to the public penitents in the first centuries of Christianity, the Church told them, by the mouth of Ezechiel, that God was ready to forgive them because they repented (Epistle). Like the sick, who assembled in the porches of the pond situated on the North of the Temple in Jerusalem, they waited at the doors of the Church, and on the great day of the Sabbath, which is the Feast of Easter, Jesus cured them, as He healed the paralytic, spoken of in the Gospel.

Exterior of the Basilica of The Twelve Apostles, 
Rome, Italy.

Photo: January 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

Our Souls, washed in the waters of Baptism, but since fallen back into sin, must atone for their faults, and Jesus, through the instrumentality of His Priests, will pardon them in the holy tribunal of Penance.

Interior of Santi Apostoli, Rome.

Photo: July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: SteO153

(Wikimedia Commons)

The excuse, “I have no man”, will not avail us, for if we remain stricken with the palsy of sin, it is because we do not have recourse to the ministry of Priesthood, which is always at our disposal.

Let us pray to Almighty God to “receive us with His kind assistance” (Collect), that our vices being “cleansed away” by Penance (Postcommunion), our Souls may once more be shown “the light of His grace” (Prayer Over The People).

Lenten Station At Saint Laurence's In Panisperna. Thursday, The First Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

Church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna in rione Monti, Rome.

Photo: March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT

This file is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station at Rome was established by Pope Gregory II, in the old Church of Saint Laurence in Panisperna, erected to the glory of the heroic Deacon, on the very spot where he suffered martyrdom.

The Church reminds the Catechumens that, since the coming of Jesus, it is no longer the race of Israel, alone, that has the promise, but that all can enter the Church by Baptism and partake of the Eucharistic bread of the children of God.

If the heathen will solemnly deny the evil deeds of his fathers and practise the Christian law of Penance and Charity (Epistle), his Prayer will be granted, as was that of the woman who belonged to the accursed race of Canaan, but whose faith was great (Gospel).

Let us seek in the Eucharist the strength required to observe Lent. For it is our Fasting, in conjunction with the sacrifice of Jesus, that will obtain for us salvation (Secret, Communion, Postcommunion).

Saint Laurence's Martyrdom, 
by Pasquale Cati (1589), 

in the Church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna, Rome.

Photo: March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT

This file is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

(Wikimedia Commons)

San Lorenzo in Panisperna, or San Lorenzo in Formoso, is a Church on Via Panisperna, Rome, Italy. It was built on the site of Saint Laurence' Martyrdom.

Panisperna most probably refers to the tradition of the Poor Clares (in the adjacent Convent) of distributing bread and ham (pane e perna) on 10 August, Lawrence's Feast Day, in remembrance of his distributing funds from the Church to the poor. "Formoso" refers to Pope Formosus who built the first attested Church here.

Tradition states that the first building was constructed during the reign of Emperor Constantine I, only 100 years after the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, though the first written evidence is from 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII rebuilt the Church and annexed an Abbey to it. That Abbey was given to the Benedictines in 1451, and then had the Poor Clares settled in it by Cardinal Jacopo Colonna in 1896, who also restored the Church and Monastery.

English: The Chapel of Saint Brigid 
in the Church of Saint Laurence in Panisperna, Rome.

Italian: Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Panisperna, 
Cappella di Santa Brigida.

Photo: 1996.

Source: Own work.

Author: Torvindus

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Franciscans now serve the Church. In the 5th-Century, this Church was one of Rome's Stational Churches and was visited by the Pope on its Titular day,  the Thursday of the First Week in Lent. Recent Popes have revived this ancient custom.

The present Church is a result of a re-building by Carlo Rainaldi in 1575–1576, under Pope Gregory XIII. It was at this time that it became known as 'in Panisperna' rather than 'in Formoso', and that the present Facade was built. 

A new Outer Portico was added in the 17th-Century, then restored and decorated with images of Saint Lawrence and Saint Francis of Assisi in 1893–1894 by Pope Leo XIII, who, in 1843, had been ordained Bishop in this Church. Pope Leo XIII also added a steep flight of steps, in front of the Church, leading to a tree-lined Courtyard. There is a modern bronze statue of Saint Bridget of Sweden, here.

A Mediaeval house is preserved, next to the Church, with an exterior staircase, one of the few such houses to have been preserved in Rome.

Entrance door of the Church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna, Rome.

Photo: March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT

This file is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church has a single Nave with three Chapels on each side.

South side

Includes a painting of Saint Clare of Assisi (1756) by Antonio Nessi, and a Ceiling fresco of Glory of Saint Lawrence by Antonio Bicchierai.
Contains the Tomb of the brothers, Saint Crispin and Saint Crispinian, with a painting by Giovanni Francesco Romano.
Painting of the Immaculate Conception by Giuseppe Ranucci.

North side

Painting of stigmata of Saint Francis by Niccolò Lapiccola.
Chapel of Saint Bridget, where she was buried before her body was moved to Sweden. She had used to beg for alms for the poor outside this Church, and prayed before the Crucifix by the High Altar. Now, a martyr, named Victoria, lies underneath the Altar in the Chapel. 

The painting of Saint Bridget Praying before the Crucifix is by Giuseppe Montesanti and was painted in 1757.
Includes an 18th-Century Crucifix of the Roman School.

Under its Porch is a Chapel containing the oven, said to have been used for Saint Laurence's Martyrdom. A Late-16th-Century fresco of the Martyrdom of Saint Laurence stands behind the High Altar (by Pasquale Cati, a mediocre pupil of Michelangelo). The Crucifix, by the High Altar, is from the 14th-Century.

Lenten Station At Saint Mary Major, Rome. Wednesday Of Ember Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

Français: Vue arriere de la Basilique Sainte-Marie Majeure de Rome (Santa Maria Maggiore).

English: Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome.

Photo: November 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT

Permission: You are free to use this picture for any purpose under the conditions specified in the license below as long as you credit its author, LPLT.

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Spring Ember Week coincides with the First Week of Lent. It was instituted for the purpose of consecrating to God the new Season, and by Fasting and Prayer, to draw down heavenly graces on those who, on Saturday, are to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

The Station on the Wednesday in Ember Week was always held at Saint Mary Major, the greatest and most illustrious of the Roman Churches consecrated to the Blessed Virgin.

English: Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Vatican.

Français: Basilique Sainte-Marie-Majeure, Vatican, située à Rome, Latium, Italie.

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174

(Wikimedia Commons)

Is it not fitting that on this very day, when the scrutinies for Ordination used to be made, the Liturgical gathering should be made in the Basilica consecrated to her, whom Proclus of Constantinople hails as “the temple in which God became Priest” ? The Gospel also alludes to Our Lady.

English: The Borghese Chapel, Saint Mary Major, Rome.

Português: Capela Borghese, Santa Maria Maggiore, Roma.

Photo: 2005.

Source: Taken by Ricardo André Frantz

Author: Ricardo André Frantz (User:Tetraktys)

(Wikimedia Commons)

The two Lessons, the second of which is read as the Epistle, tell of Moses and Elias, who, before seeing the glory of the Lord, fasted forty days and forty nights. Called to take the place of the rebellious Jews, let us make ourselves worthy of the fruits of Penance, as did the men of Ninive, who listened to the voice of Jonas, and the Queen of Saba, who came from her distant country to learn the wisdom of Solomon (Gospel). We shall participate, then, in the resurrection of the Saviour, symbolised by the Prophet who, after remaining three days in the whale’s belly, was vomited out alive.

Let us pray to God that we may be strengthened in mind by the fruit of good works, while we mortify our bodies by abstinence (Collect).

The Holy Season Of Lent. Are You Ready ?

From TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS

Confidence In Saint Joseph. Example For The Divine Jesus.

From HOLY CARD HEAVEN

Confidence in Saint Joseph.

Example for the Divine Jesus.

Confiance en Saint Joseph

à L'exemple du Divin Jesus.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Anastasia. Tuesday, The First Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica di Sant'Anastasia al Palatino, Rome, Italy.

Česky: Bazilika sv. Anastázie na Palatinu, Řím, Itálie.

Photo: April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karelj

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is at the old Church which, in the 4th-Century, was the only Parish in the centre of Rome and in its wealthy quarter. Built at the foot of the Palatine Hill, this Church, which owes its name to the Chapel of the Resurrection (Anastasis) at Jerusalem, was also consecrated to Saint Anastasia.

Saint Anastasia was put to death under the Emperor Diocletian at Sirmium in Illyria (now Mitrowitz). Tradition seems to say that this "title", mentioned in a Synod in 499 A.D., recalls the house of this holy Martyr in Rome (?). It is more than likely, however, that it concerns but a simple identity of name between the Roman foundress of this Basilica and the titular Saint.

Lent is the time when "God is near to us and eager to forgive us, if we put aside our evil thoughts and forsake the way of sin" (Epistle). To do so, we must cast sin out from our hearts, as Jesus cast out the sellers from the Temple (Gospel), and receive the teaching of Christ with the simplicity of children of God. Then, He will be able to cure our Souls, as He healed the lame and the blind who came nigh unto Him.

Casting out the vainglorious wisdom of the world, let us profit by the holy Season of Lent, so that, "chastening our bodies by mortification, our Souls may be filled with holy desires" (Collect).

Interior of the Basilica of Saint Anastasia, Rome.

Photo: June 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

Santa Anastasia is a Basilica Church in Rome.

Santa Anastasia was built in the late 3rd-Century - early 4th-Century, possibly by a Roman woman named Anastasia. The Church is listed under the titulus Anastasiae in the Acts of the 499 A.D. Synod. Later, the Church was entitled to the martyr with the same name, Anastasia of Sirmium.

The Church was restored several times: Pope Damasus I (366 A.D. - 383 A.D.); Pope Hilarius (461 A.D. - 468 A.D.); Pope John VII (705 A.D. - 707 A.D.); Pope Leo III (795 A.D. - 816 A.D.); Pope Gregory IV (827 A.D. - 844 A.D.). The current Church dates back to the 17th-Century restoration commissioned by Pope Urban VII.

Traditionally, the Church is connected to the cult of Saint Jerome, who possibly celebrated Mass here. The Saint is depicted over the Altar, by Domenichino.

Ceiling of the Basilica Sant'Anastasia, Rome.

Photo: July 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: User:Mattes

(Wikimedia Commons)

The current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Anastasiae is Godfried Danneels. Past holders have included John Morton, an Archbishop of Canterbury.

Art and Architecture

The last restoration, after the restoration during the papacy of Pope Sixtus IV, occurred in 1636, when the facade, with, lower, Doric, and, upper, Ionic, order, was reconstructed in 1636, after the cyclone of 1634. The Nave recycles antique Columns. The Ceiling is frescoed with a martyrdom of the Saints (1722) by Michelangelo Cerruti.

English: Statue in Basilica di Sant'Anastasia al Palatino, Rome, Italy.

Česky: Socha v Bazilice sv. Anastázie na Palatinu, Řím, Itálie.

Photo: April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karelj

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Chapel, to the right, has a painting of Saint John the Baptist by Pier Francesco Mola. While the last Chapel on the right has a fresco of Scenes of the Life of Saints Carlo Borromeo and Filippo Neri by Lazzaro Baldi. 

The right Transept has a painting of S. Toribio (1726) by Francesco Trevisani. The High Altar has a Nativity by Lazzaro Baldi and, below the Altar, is a statue of Saint Anastasia by Ercole Ferrata. It clearly shows the influence of Bernini's Beata Ludovica Albertoni. The left Transept has a Madonna of the Rosary by Baldi. The last Chapel, to the left, by Domenichino, depicts Saint Jerome. The other Chapel has Ss.Giorgio e Publio by Etienne Parrocel.